102 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



[Vol. XXXVI 



bear trails torm a network through the forest and 

 across the muskegs from Tow Hill to the east beach 

 and north to Rose Spit. While camped at Tow Hill 

 we explored this area, about one-third of which is 

 lakes and muskeg and the remainder forested with 

 hemlock, Sitka spruce, red cedar, yellow cedar 

 (rare), lodgepole pine, yew (rare), alder, crab-apple 

 and willow, and has as an imdergrowth huckle- 

 berry (both blue and red), salmon berry (both red 

 and yellow), and sallal. The sallal, a rank-growing 

 shrub attaining a height oi four or five feet, covers 

 large areas of the forest floor, and through it pro- 

 gress is almost impossible. In the dense portions 

 ot the forest the fallen trees are shrouded in moss, 

 and the living ones festooned with moss and ferns. 



No aquatic animal life was observed in the shallow 

 lakes, and excepting the yellow pond lily there is 

 very little plant life. The moss covered muskegs 

 are studded with lodgepole pine, dead and living, 

 and dotted with muck holes which gurgle under the 

 weight of the passerby. In places the muck is 

 eight feet or more in depth and the largest tree can 

 be rocked to its roots bedded beneath the water- 

 soaked blanket of moss which stretches and sinks a 

 foot under one's weight. Except tor the geese 

 which roost there and an occasional bear or crane, 

 there is very little animal life on the muskegs. 



The Hiellen River, shallow and rapid, in a gravel 

 bed, is inhabited by Dolly Varden trout, sculpins 

 or "bull heads," as they are called by the settlers, 

 and, during the spawning season in September, by 

 humpback salmon. 



Over the area explored there are dotted perhaps 

 two dozen log cabins all abandoned but five, the 

 builders having, after three or four years' residence, 

 found the natural conditions too unresponsive to 

 hard labor. The present settlers have each a herd 

 of thirty or so head of cattle, which, with the aid 

 of a small amount of slough grass hay, forage for 

 themselves throughout the year, and, along with his 

 garden for home use, net the settler a living. 



Solid rock at the point which stands above high 

 tide, with low rock pinnacles and seaweed covered 

 boulders forming the central portion, and wooded 

 at the base, Yakan Point, situated two miles west 

 of Tow Hill, extends a quarter of a mile out into 

 the sea. 



Strewn with driftwood above storm tide. Rose 

 Spit (Rose Point) is simply a barren, tapering ridge 

 of sand several miles in length which continues 

 several miles farther as a treacherous sandbar under 

 the sea. 



During the greater part of our stay the weather 

 was clear and cool, a rainy period seldom lasting 

 more than three days. There were a few black-flies, 

 mosquitoes were not uncommon, and the tiny 

 "no-see-'em" flies were abundant and very annoying. 



On September 12 we returned from Tow Hill to 

 New Massett, and about 7 a.m., September 28, 

 boarded the S.S. Prince Albert on her way up Mas- 

 sett Inlet to Port Clements, returned to Massett for 

 freight (saw very few birds up the inlet) and left 

 again at 3.30 p.m. Arriving in Prince Rupert at 1 

 a.m., we boarded the S.S. Prince Rupert and landed 

 in Vancouver at 4 p.m., September 30. 



As will be seen by the appended list, the avifauana 

 of the northwest portion of Graham Island is varied 

 and abundant. In addition to those here listed a 

 number of additional species have been observed 

 by other collectors, and as there are mainland 

 islands less than thirty miles distant almost any 

 mainland species may be expected. Three birds in- 

 habiting Graham Island have been described as 

 specifically new to science, and there are indications 

 that others will be found peculiar to these islands. 

 No butterflies have been recorded from the Queen 

 Charlotte group, and neither have snakes, turtles, 

 lizards, salamanders, or frogs; the only cold-blooded 

 vertebrate other than fishes being the toad common 

 to the west coast. An Easterner quickly notes the 

 absence of such familiar mammals as the squirrels, 

 muskrat, hare, foxes and woodchuck. Thus far 

 only eleven varieties of native land mammals have 

 been recorded from Graham Island, four of these 

 being bats. Of the eleven varieties at least six 

 have been described as species or subspecies new 

 to science. The Indians when asked how the 

 mammals got on the island replied to the effect that 

 their ancestors brought representatives of each 

 species. Perhaps they did, either accidentally or 

 intentionally. 



As caribou existed on Graham Island and the 

 foreign deer seem to be thriving, the advisability 

 of introducing other game mammals would seem 

 worthy of consideration. 



The specific annotations and titles for the list of 

 birds were supplied by Mr. P. A. Taverner, Orni- 

 thologist to the Geological Survey of Canada. 



MAMMALS 



Orcinus orca. Killer Whale (?). Chief Harry 

 Wiah said that two years prior to our visit, while 

 picking strawberries near Chown Point on the north 

 beach, he saw more than thirty seals come on the 

 beach, and, lying as flat as possible, refuse to be driven 

 into the water. Harry claimed that a whale had 

 pursued them and they were thus avoiding him. 



Red Deer. About two years prior to our visit 

 a buck and three does were introduced from some 

 mainland park. The buck became so vicious that 

 his destruction was necessary. Members of our 

 party observed the three does, a spike buck and a 

 fawn. These deer were seen first near Massett 

 and later near Tow Hill. 



